Shefali Shah is undeniably one of the most talented and versatile actresses in the film industry. Known for her brilliant work in Delhi Crime, Three Of Us, Dil Dhadakne Do, Darlings and other projects,
the actress has carved a niche for herself in the industry. While the actress stands out for her individuality, she recently revealed that there was a time when she was ‘tremendously influenced’ by Sridevi. She admitted that she would mimic her and try to act like her, only to later realise that it was neither authentic nor sustainable. She ‘dropped the act’ after realising that there cannot be another Sridevi in the industry.
Shefali Shah On Imitating Sridevi’s Acting Style
In an interview with Galatta Plus, Shefali Shah was asked about an old throwback video she posted from her past television show. The post was shared with a long caption, in which she wrote about owning the ‘embarrassing’ video clip and being smitten by a ‘mega superstar’. When recently asked why she found it embarrassing, Shefali replied, “It’s bad enough that I was acting like that. Now, I don’t have to remind people I was acting like that.” She further added, “I know there were a lot of shows at that point of time. Now there is something called soap acting. When I did television, I was in a very good time when there was some amazing work happening on TV. But what I did was not soap acting. It was just sheer bad acting. There’s no justification for that.”
“It was bad enough that people saw it then. Now I have put it out so people will see it again. Actually, it was already out. Some people shared it with me and then I said I may as well own it. And I was tremendously influenced by an actress. And I was trying to imbibe her. And then one day I woke up and said, ‘There can’t be another Sridevi. Why are you even trying?’ And I also realised that I am a terrible mimic. I’m glad I dropped the act,” said Shefali.
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When Shefali Shah Revealed Why She Stopped Imitating Sridevi
In her Instagram post, she once revealed being smitten by this ‘mega superstar’, without naming Sridevi. “She was everything dreams are made of. She made us laugh, cry and she made us dream.
She was everything I aspired to be. I was flattered when people said I looked like her and my self-esteem soared. Naively, I believed all I had to do now was act like her. So I began copying her. And the more I did, the more people said I reminded them of her. That was a huge ego boost.
This clip is from somewhere in between trying to be her, and definitely not being myself.
But suddenly I realised I wasn’t a good mimic. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t be her. No one could. So I dropped the act. And along with it, I dropped the only crutch I had and I now had to stand on my own feet. I knew I had a 50% chance of succeeding if I was like her, and a 100% chance of failing if I was me,” wrote Shefali.
She further added, “Trying to be her gave me direction. Being myself felt like a UPS delivery with the wrong address. I’m not going into what I did or how. Not because it’s a trade secret, but because I still don’t have the instruction manual.”
Meanwhile, Shefali Shah will next be seen in Delhi Crime Season 3, which will premiere on Netflix on November 13.
